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Dara O Briain has defended fellow comic Reginald D Hunter’s performance at the PFA awards after it emerged the association is pursuing a refund over the ‘offensive’ stand-up.

PFA deputy chief executive Bobby Barnes confirmed its lawyers have been in touch with the company it used to book the American for Sunday’s annual awards ceremony in London.

The PFA, who warned the American to avoid ‘swearing or any racist references’, has faced widespread criticism for booking Hunter who regularly uses the N-word in his routines.

‘We are in discussions with our lawyer and our lawyer is in discussion with the London Speaker Bureau, who we booked him through,’ Mr Barnes told Telegraph Sport. ‘Whatever he was paid was too much.

‘We are obviously very upset, because he was briefed. We are very aware that very have a very diverse audience there … it was as if he set out to upset everyone in the room one way or another.

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‘[The set] was totally inappropriate for our dinner and, more importantly, certainly not what we ordered.’

Defence: Dara O Briain (Picture: BBC / File)

Posting a link to the story on Twitter, Irish comedian O Briain mocked the latest developments, saying: ‘I look forward to suing the @PFA when their members fail to perform as expected. #freeregdhunter.’

He added: ‘I do love football, but honestly, football people do seem to live in a childish little bubble sometimes. @PFA.’